Providing routing information to an answering point of an emergency services network

• US 8,149,996 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2007
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intrado Life & Safety Incorporated
• Original Assignee: West Corporation
• Inventors: Nelson, Michael Jay, LaClair, Thomas, Wolfe, David Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Creighton
• Application Number:
  US11/773,519
• Publication Number:
  US 20090010398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,734 Days
• Field of Search: 379/45, 379/221.03
• US Class Current: 379/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4872 Non-interactive information services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5237 Interconnection arrangements between ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

Networks, systems, and methods are disclosed for handling alternate routing scenarios for emergency calls or other special number calls, such as a 9-1-1 call. In routing an emergency call, an emergency services network identifies a primary answering point (e.g., a PSAP) to handle the emergency call. If the primary answering point is not available, then the emergency services network identifies an alternate answering point to handle the emergency call, and routes the emergency call to the alternate answering point (if available). The emergency services network also identifies alternate routing information indicating a reason for routing the emergency call to the alternate answering point instead of the primary answering point, and transmits the alternate routing information to the alternate answering point for processing.

Claims

1. A method of operating an emergency services network, the method comprising:

receiving an emergency call in the emergency services network;

performing one of a selective routing process and a trunk-only routing process to identify a primary answering point to handle the emergency call;

determining whether the primary answering point is available to handle the emergency call;

if the primary answering point is available to handle the emergency call, identifying first routing information indicating a reason for routing the emergency call to the primary answering point and routing the emergency call to the primary answering point with the first routing information; and

if the primary answering point is not available to handle the emergency call, performing one of the selective routing process and the trunk-only routing process to identify an alternate answering point available to handle the emergency call, identifying second routing information indicating a reason for routing the emergency call to the alternate answering point and routing the emergency call to the alternate answering point with the second routing information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting the first routing information to the primary answering point or transmitting the second routing information to the alternate answering point comprises:

transmitting the first routing information or the second routing information over a packet network.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the packet network uses SIP signaling and wherein transmitting the first routing information to the primary answering point comprises:

transmitting the first routing information in the SIP signaling used to route the emergency call to the primary answering point.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein transmitting routing information to the primary answering point in the SIP signaling comprises:

Including alternate routing information in XML data of the SIP signaling.

5. A method of operating an emergency services network, the method comprising:

receiving an emergency call in the emergency services network;

performing one of a selective routing process and a trunk-only routing process to identify a primary answering point to handle the emergency call;

determining whether the primary answering point is available to handle the emergency call;

performing one of the selective routing process and the trunk-only routing process to identify an alternate answering point to handle the emergency call responsive to a determination that the primary answering point is not available to handle the emergency call;

routing the emergency call to the alternate answering point;

identifying alternate routing information indicating a reason for routing the emergency call to the alternate answering point instead of the primary answering point; and

transmitting the alternate routing information to the alternate answering point.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein transmitting the alternate routing information to the alternate answering point comprises:

transmitting the alternate routing information to the alternate answering point over a packet network.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the packet network uses SIP signaling and wherein transmitting the alternate routing information to the alternate answering point comprises:

transmitting the alternate routing information to the alternate answering point in the SIP signaling used to route the emergency call to the alternate answering point.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein transmitting the alternate routing information to the alternate answering point in the SIP signaling comprises:

including the alternate routing information in XML data of the SIP signaling.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the alternate routing information includes an indication that the primary answering point was busy.

10. The method of claim 5 wherein the alternate routing information includes an indication that the primary answering point was abandoned.

11. An emergency call control system for handling emergency calls, the emergency call control system comprising:

a packet network interface adapted to communicate over a packet network with a plurality of answering points; and

a selective routing system adapted to receive an emergency call, to identify a primary answering point to handle the emergency call, and to determine whether the primary answering point is available to handle the emergency call;

the selective routing system, responsive to a determination that the primary answering point is not available to handle the emergency call, is further adapted to identify an alternate answering point to handle the emergency call, to route the emergency call to the alternate answering point through the packet network interface over the packet network, to identify alternate routing information indicating a reason for routing the emergency call to the alternate answering point instead of the primary answering point, and to transmit the alternate routing information to the alternate answering point through the packet network interface over the packet network.

12. The emergency call control system of claim 11 wherein the selective routing system is further adapted to:

transmit the alternate routing information to the alternate answering point through the packet network interface over the packet network in SIP signaling used to route the emergency call to the alternate answering point.

13. The emergency call control system of claim 12 wherein the selective routing system is further adapted to:

include the alternate routing information in XML data of the SIP signaling.

14. The emergency call control system of claim 11 wherein the alternate routing information includes an indication that the primary answering point was busy.

15. The emergency call control system of claim 11 wherein the alternate routing information includes an indication that the primary answering point was abandoned.

16. An emergency services network, comprising:

a plurality of answering points;

an emergency call control system; and

a packet network connecting the emergency call control system to the plurality of answering points;

the emergency call control system adapted to receive an emergency call, to identify a first answering point to handle the emergency call, and to determine whether the first answering point is available to handle the emergency call;

the emergency call control system, responsive to a determination that the first answering point is not available to handle the emergency call, is further adapted to identify a second answering point to handle the emergency call, to route the emergency call to the second answering point over the packet network, to identify alternate routing information indicating a reason for routing the emergency call to the second answering point instead of the first answering point, and to transmit the alternate routing information to the second answering point over the packet network.

17. The emergency services network of claim 16 wherein the emergency call control system is further adapted to:

transmit the alternate routing information to the second answering point in the SIP signaling used to route the emergency call to the second answering point.

18. The emergency services network of claim 17 wherein the emergency call control system is further adapted to:

include the alternate routing information in XML data of SIP signaling.

19. The emergency services network of claim 16 wherein the alternate routing information includes an indication that the first answering point was busy.

20. The emergency services network of claim 16 wherein the alternate routing information includes an indication that the first answering point was abandoned.

21. A method of operating an answering point for handling emergency calls, the method comprising:

receiving an emergency call and alternate routing information over a packet network, wherein the alternate routing information indicates a reason for routing the emergency call to the answering point instead of another answering point;

selecting a terminal in the answering point to handle the emergency call;

routing the emergency call and the alternate routing information to the selected terminal; and

processing, in the selected terminal, the alternate routing information to display the alternate routing information to a call taker.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

processing the alternate routing information to generate an alert of increased call volume.

23. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

processing the alternate routing information to modify call handling rules in the answering point.

24. A method of operating an emergency services network, the method comprising:

receiving an emergency call in the emergency services network;

performing one of a selective routing process and a trunk-only routing process to identify a primary answering point to handle the emergency call;

routing the emergency call to the primary answering point;

transferring the emergency call from the primary answering point to an alternate answering point; and

transmitting transfer information from the primary answering point to the alternate answering point indicating that the emergency call was transferred from the primary answering point.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein transmitting transfer information from the primary answering point to the alternate answering point comprises:

transmitting the transfer information from the primary answering point to the alternate answering point over a packet network.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the packet network uses SIP signaling and wherein transmitting transfer information from the primary answering point to the alternate answering point comprises:

transmitting the transfer information from the primary answering point to the alternate answering point in the SIP signaling used to transfer the emergency call to the alternate answering point.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein transmitting transfer information from the primary answering point to the alternate answering point in the SIP signaling comprises:

including the transfer information in XML data of the SIP signaling.